Lots of folks back East, they say, is leavin’ home every day,
Beatin’ the hot old dusty way to the California line.
‘Cross the desert sands they roll, gettin’ out of that old dust bowl,
They think they’re goin’ to a sugar bowl, but here’s what they find
Now, the police at the port of entry say,
“You’re number fourteen thousand for today.
This is a beautiful version of Woody Guthrie’s “Do Re Mi” performed in Jan 2009. It was aired on the History Channel documentary “The People Speak“.
But first here is Woody Guthrie – The Asch Recordings Vol. 1 (1944):
Over to our man…
Malibu Performing Arts Center
Los Angeles, California
January 2009
Musicians:
- Bob Dylan (vocal & acoustic guitar)
- Ry Cooder (electric guitar)
- Van Dyke Parks (piano)
Oh, if you ain’t got the do re mi, folks, you ain’t got the do re mi,
Why, you better go back to beautiful Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia, Tennessee.
California is a garden of Eden, a paradise to live in or see;
But believe it or not, you won’t find it so hot
If you ain’t got the do re mi.
You want to buy you a home or a farm, that can’t deal nobody harm,
Or take your vacation by the mountains or sea.
Don’t swap your old cow for a car, you better stay right where you are,
Better take this little tip from me.
‘Cause I look through the want ads every day
But the headlines on the papers always say:
If you ain’t got the do re mi, boys, you ain’t got the do re mi,
Why, you better go back to beautiful Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia, Tennessee.
California is a garden of Eden, a paradise to live in or see;
But believe it or not, you won’t find it so hot
If you ain’t got the do re mi.
–
-Egil
What is the precise January 2009 date when this was recorded?